The Angels have managed to stick with a consistent five-man starting rotation this season, but the results have been a mixed bag. Despite the stability, performance has varied. With the bullpen still a work in progress—though it’s shown significant recent improvement—manager Ron Washington has urged his starters to pitch deeper into games. So far, each of the five starters is averaging exactly 5.1 innings per outing, and their combined 330.1 innings ranks ninth in the majors.
Yusei Kikuchi has stepped up respectably as the staff’s top starter, even if he doesn’t rank among MLB’s elite aces. Tyler Anderson has been characteristically inconsistent, yet he’s largely succeeded at limiting hard contact and providing a steady presence.
Kyle Hendricks and Jack Kochanowicz have been more frustrating, though it’s tough to expect dominant outings from back-end starters. The most crucial piece of the rotation is José Soriano, who has shown concerning patterns over his last six starts.
The Angels have a José Soriano problem right now
To be fair, three of Soriano’s last six starts over the past month have qualified as quality outings — specifically, his two consecutive starts against San Diego and Miami, and his second-most-recent appearance against Cleveland.
Soriano relies heavily on his sinker and generates ground balls more frequently than any other starting pitcher in the league. Over the past month, his groundball rate has increased, his hard-hit rate has decreased, and he hasn’t surrendered a home run — so what’s going wrong?
In his first seven starts of the year, the 26-year-old posted a 3.83 ERA, 3.79 FIP, 3.38 xFIP, 1.43 WHIP, with an 18.5% strikeout rate and 9.5% walk rate. Opponents hit .272/.339/.364/.704 against him.
However, in his most recent six starts (spoiler: the numbers have trended in the wrong direction), Soriano recorded a 4.45 ERA, 4.00 FIP, 4.77 xFIP, 1.79 WHIP, and matching 14.1% strikeout and walk rates. Opponents batted .301/.408/.333/.741 during that stretch.
His outing against Boston was a complete meltdown, one that felt inevitable. After the Angels gave him a four-run cushion before he even took the mound at Fenway, his first inning unraveled as follows: single, walk, single, single, walk, single, strikeout, double, groundout, groundout. He gave up five runs in that inning and exited after just 3.2 innings.
One of the Angels’ core problems all year has been a failure—both by their pitchers and hitters—to maintain even league-average strikeout-to-walk ratios, and Soriano is a prime example. His recent implosion mirrors the team’s broader struggles: if you can’t command the strike zone, success won’t follow.
There had been optimism that Soriano’s strikeout numbers were trending upward, but that improvement has stalled. His long-standing control issues are resurfacing, and when he does find the zone, he too often leaves pitches over the heart of the plate.
A former reliever, Soriano was shut down early in 2024 due to arm fatigue. Ideally, his arm is healthy now and he simply needs to fine-tune his mechanics and approach. Regardless, the Angels desperately need him to elevate his performance — otherwise, they’re in serious trouble.
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